Weekend.
Backlog of reviews to clear. The Weekend is here.
Superman Returns (2006) 7/10
Brandon Routh is bland. So is Kate Bosworth. Kevin Spacey, on the other hand, overacts a tad. So even though the acting performance is nothing to shout about, and the plot strikes me as really dumb- “growing new land with kryptonic crystals!”, i still enjoyed it. Bryan Singer manages to make the film work inspite of a dumb premise and generally weaker cast (Routh will still be overshadowed by Reeves). Somehow, the sum is better than its parts. I don’t know why. It just works. So even if i have misgivings about the charater performances and plot, i nevertheless enjoyed it. Just like Pirates of the Caribbean 2.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) 8/10
Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) lives in a family so dysfunctional, that it could give the Addams family a run for their money. With a severly obese mother and an intellectually retarded brother, Grape has alot of problems on his hands.
Its a brilliant film because of the performances of the cast. Johnny Depp shows the kind of leading man gravitas that would stand him in good stead in future, while Darlene Cates has a brave role as the mother who is very obese. But the standout is Leonardo DiCaprio, whose role as Arnie Grape is the soul of the film. This is doubtless DiCaprio’s career best performance.
The Break Up (2006) 7/10
Inspite of the generally negative reviews, The Break Up wasn’t so bad. Some have criticised the lack of chemistry between the leads as one of the failings. I agree that there isn’t much chemistry here, but in this case, it is a plus rather than a minus. Because of the lack of chemistry, the breakup becomes more believable. I believe one reason the movie has fared badly critically is because it has been marketed as a comedy, which it really isn’t. There are comic moments, granted, but this is more an anti-romance than comedy, so those who came in expecting a regular rom-com would not have their expectations met.
Granted, the film develops in a rather predictable, tit for tat trajectory, but still the film charms and i’m wont to give it a favourable rating.
Over The Hedge (2006) 6/10
Fun, but at times overly predictable, Over the Hedge has some wicked gags and excellent spoofs of, among other things, mission impossible. But not all the gags work, and the exposition in the beginning can be a tad tiresome. Overall, a decent effort.
Slither (2006) 6/10
A solid B-film that works in its campiness, cheesy plot and gags. Not really my kind of genre, but its always good to see Nathan Fillion (Serenity, Firefly) in a film. Anyways its a B film so you know what to expect. Its not gonna get any Oscar nominations, but works as escapist fiction. Add up to 2 addition points to the rating if you enjoy films in this genre.
Art Museum By The Zoo (1998) 6/10
An amiable and reasonably good Korean rom-com. It wasn’t great and it wasn’t bad. It was just ok.
Duelist (2005) 5/10
Two fighters face off in a dark corridor. One is entirely hidden in the shadows, the other in light. They battle, only its is more like a dance of swords than the fury of heated battle. Such is the visual beauty of director Lee Myung-se’s The Duelist, a film that simply looks great. There is sharp visual flair and beautiful, even breathtaking sequences done with attention to lighting, to color and to visial fluidity. In short, sheer visual beauty. Intricate costumes, memorable sequences and even the occasional manga inspired comic relief.
If you think it looks like a page taken out of a manga, translated in full technicolor to screen, then you’d be right. But one fatal flaw of the film is that, in pursuit of visual artistry, it has forgotten to tell a tale. Plot is superficial, the characters poorly developed. In the end, the plot is subserviant to the importance of looking good, which makes this a film that is good to look at but instantly forgettable. Imagine the visual beauty of a Hero, but rip away any semblence of a plot, and you might just end up with Duelist.
Factotum(2006) 4/10
A dreary and boring version of Leaving Las Vegas.
The Sixth Day(2000) 2/10
There is another film called The Sixth Sense. Watch that instead.
Lady In The Water (2006) 2/10
Proof that yes, M Night Shyamalan can make a film that is more incoherent and boring than The Village. I was struggling to keep awake, and for a film that constantly explains itself in its pseudo fantasy world, the plot is as nonsensical as plots go. So much so that i was rooting for the make believe monster to just kill the darn narf so that we can at least have the satisfaction of surprising the audience. Of course, the film ends in a throughly predictable manner.
